Graham Smith candid WSL comments and will they be around next year??

[SurfFuerteventura]

Make it interesting to watch.

1 heat all LB's.
1 heat all fishes.
1 heat all midlength singles
1 heat all hpsb

Average all 4 heat scores, highest score wins.

Put restrictions on boards in terms of volume/surfer weight, dims, nose/rail/tail, fin sizes, etc... Like in F1 where they have a range they can tweek within, but everyone's basically competeing on similar equipment.

Then you really see who the best all around surfer is...

 

[PRCD]

He's referring to one of the best waves ever ridden in onshore/sideshore Jbay, probably ever.

Being from Huntington, I didn't see any "Huntington hopping" on that wave. I love Toledo's backside rail game too. There's plenty of talent on the Tour but the slapdicks running it can't make it interesting.

 

[Tarab_ish]

I'd kinda be fine if the tour closes -- I watch some of the recaps but mostly I don't have much to do with pro surfing
I'm not sure what would make it a more viable product.
what I am sure of though is that whether they find the formula or not will have nothing to do with whether they stop triggering the culture war resentments of a couple of grumpy dad-age guys on a surf forum. Some of you all gotta see boilerplate for what it is -- "woke" stuff is just what professional-managerial-class liberals (people with money to spend) want as a disclaimer before they do what they were going to do anyway. A little PSA at the beginning to soothe their consciences and tell them they're one of the good ones, then back to our program. It's not that serious.

 

[Woke AF]

I'd kinda be fine if the tour closes -- I watch some of the recaps but mostly I don't have much to do with pro surfing
I'm not sure what would make it a more viable product.
what I am sure of though is that whether they find the formula or not will have nothing to do with whether they stop triggering the culture war resentments of a couple of grumpy dad-age guys on a surf forum. Some of you all gotta see boilerplate for what it is -- "woke" stuff is just what professional-managerial-class liberals (people with money to spend) want as a disclaimer before they do what they were going to do anyway. A little PSA at the beginning to soothe their consciences and tell them they're one of the good ones, then back to our program. It's not that serious.

agree
instead of Green-washing it now is Woke-washing.

 

[bird.LA]

How's that working for them?

Yeah bruh they are failing at this too, no doubt. But it's a lot cheaper to keep afloat long term than live webcasts in remote locales.

It's also done with the intent of "growing the sport" to increase the number of kooks they can sell to

 

[LiamUnknown]

I've basically stopped watching in large part due to the unbearable commentary/wall of positive noise. If they dropped it and had commentary more like the stab100 I'd pay a yearly amount to watch the tour for a year. Agreed, it would be a sustainable model but no one would get rich.

But the gravy train that is pro surfer is over anyway and I don't think most of these guys will be making money for too much longer tour or not. A sustainable tour at least keeps them in front of everyone's eyes.

I can't imagine Doug coors will be funding this money pit for too much longer.

 

[LiamUnknown]

Funny enough I've started watching a lot more tennis and the commentators routinely say when the judges got it wrong, question wtf the players are doing, critique and criticize, etc. In contrast the WSL commentators never say anything that could even be considered the least bit controversial. Bobby was right and the WSL is actually worse now than the tennis tour.

 

[GromsDad]

I realize this is your thing and it's probably different on the East coast. Out here, a lot of these NSSA surfers have had zero parental discipline and think they're the next big thing and act like it in the water. This pipeline needs to be killed.

My comment was less about NSSA and more about my dislike of USA Surfing. ESA and WSA really are all that is needed in the US on the am side.

 

[GromsDad]

I'm thinking opposite. Go top 50 surfers or top 100.

My thoughts:

Back in the 80s and 90s you had regional tours like the ASP East and on the West Coast you had the PSAA, Body Glove and Bud Tour. I think Brazil or Latin America had their version too. Success on these tours could get you a slot in the trials or first round of an ASP event. Bring these back instead of the WQS. Perhaps more of a focus on the 17 to 22 year old age group with a Junior Tour in the US and abroad to ramp up younger talent and in turn flush some of the older guys off of the CT.

More wildcards. There are too many guys that rip to limit it to just the current CT. Having so many ultra-talented rippers outside of the CT makes the WSL seem even less relevant. Guess what, a lot of those rippers outside the WSL have big followings.

The year has to end on the North Shore with the Triple Crown being a big part of crowning a world champ.

Never do another event in a wave pool.

 

[freeride76]

I find the QS enjoyable. 4 man heats. everybody hungry as fck. lots of guys I've never seen before who rip.
I saw a heat with some rando Brazilian named Kyle Kirmson or something and it was some of the best surfing I'd ever seen.
Never heard of the guy before or after LOL.

Not having a go Racer, but what was the last QS you watched?

are you a total fan who watches everything?

 

[mundus]

I like briefly checking out QS when it comes up on my youtube in obscure locations, does not generally hold my attention.

 

[Bob]

That may have been some of the gist of what he was saying - that the WSL has spent a lot of effort/money on sociopolitical crap that has nothing to do with surfing and put people into positions for the sake of woke.

Paying surfers ruined surfing!!!

 

[Northern_Shores]

Having so many ultra-talented rippers outside of the CT makes the WSL seem even less relevant.

Ultra talented outside the CT guys?! The top 22 are so far beyond anyone else it's not even funny. And outside the WSL its even more grim. The "rippers" outside the WSL spend a year getting together clips that don't even match what Italo does in 30 mins at some shitious beachbreak in Australia.
WSL has the best surfers by a New Jersey mile. They even had to give more money to the "Pipe specialists" in the trials because in the last 20 years the Hawaiians had made a combined $1000 in price money from that comp.

Anyone who is "ultra talented" will end up on the CT. Currently being ultra talented is ultra difficult because of Medina & Co.

 

[GromsDad]

Ultra talented outside the CT guys?! The top 22 are so far beyond anyone else it's not even funny. And outside the WSL its even more grim. The "rippers" outside the WSL spend a year getting together clips that don't even match what Italo does in 30 mins at some shitious beachbreak in Australia.
WSL has the best surfers by a New Jersey mile. They even had to give more money to the "Pipe specialists" in the trials because in the last 20 years the Hawaiians had made a combined $1000 in price money from that comp.

Like it or not the WSL has to compete with all those edits. I disagree with how far ahead a lot of the CT surfers are.

You will get no debate from me on the talent of Italo. I think he's miles ahead of anyone right now.

 

[GromsDad]

Somehow in the 80s and 90s there was quite a bit of excitement and money in Pro surfing.......even without the "Dream Tour". I really think regional pro tours would be a nice draw even if the events didn't have big purses.

 

[racer1]

Not having a go Racer, but what was the last QS you watched?

are you a total fan who watches everything?

I know you're not.

I watched some of the Aussie ones last year. Pre covid, I'd watch ones in Europe, OZ, Brazil. Only the primes and the higher star ones. I watch it differently than the CT though, I stream it on the ipad, muted, while Im' working on other stuff. I can still see the scores and just like watching guys ripping random waves in real time. I like seeing people I've never heard of.

 

[racer1]

They even had to give more money to the "Pipe specialists" in the trials because in the last 20 years the Hawaiians had made a combined $1000 in price money from that comp.

You got a source for that? Lol

Multiple wildcards have won Pipe (JOB/Bruce/JBG).
Has a wildcard won at any other CT?
Not counting Curren, Kelly, Mick and Parko (they all did it, but also world champs).
Robo got 2nd at Bells that one year.

 

[oeste858]

You got a source for that? Lol

Multiple wildcards have won Pipe (JOB/Bruce/JBG).
Has a wildcard won at any other CT?
Not counting Curren, Kelly, Mick and Parko (they all did it, but also world champs).
Robo got 2nd at Bells that one year.

Robo at Bells was good value. Who's that saffa that kept giant-killing top seeds at J-bay year after year. That was fun. At a spot like that, Chopes, or the triple crown, I'd rather see local wildcards than the bottom 1/2 of the WCT guys.
EDIT: it was Sean Holmes, that took out prime AI (and KS) a couple years in a row

 

[racer1]

Right? I really don't need to see another Jadson, Pupo, Mikey or Kanoa heat in my life.

Maybe it's the familiarity that makes a lot of guys boring for me?

 

[freeride76]

Plenty of no name Pipe Wildcards have gone deep in the draw or knocked out World title contenders.

Evan Valiere and Gavin Gillette are two that spring to mind.